1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a terminal management system including a terminal apparatus connected to a local network capable of transmitting and receiving information, a management server capable of transmitting and receiving information on the terminal apparatus through the local network, and a client terminal capable of receiving the information on the terminal apparatus from the management server through the local network.
2. Description of Related Art
Under the conventional terminal management system having a local network capable of transmitting and receiving information, on which a terminal apparatus such as a printer or the like, a management server capable of transmitting and receiving information on the terminal apparatus through the local network, and a client terminal are connected to one another, the management server reads a driver program for operating the terminal apparatus out of a memory of the management server itself to transmit the driver program to the client terminal according to transmission of request information for requesting the driver program from the client terminal to the management server. The client terminal receives and installs the driver program transmitted from the management server, thereby being in a state capable of operating the terminal apparatus. For example, under a printing system having a network such as a LAN or the like connecting to a print server, a client, a printer, and the like, a shared printer monitor of the print server monitors a shared printer set to be shared on the network, based on shared printer information. In the case of detecting the state such that a new shared printer is connected to the network, the shared printer monitor transmits to the client an email having such a message as requesting installation of the printer driver for the new shared printer. The client then downloads to install the printer driver from the print server (see, e.g., an example of related art).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-280218 (from page 5 to 6, FIG. 1) is an example of related art.
Under the conventional printing system as described above, however, the printer driver for the new printer is to be downloaded from printer drivers stored in the print server, so that the printer drivers are required to be available in the print server every time when the shared printer monitor detects the new printer. To make available of the printer driver, an operator or the like is required to request to acquire the printer driver and then manually store the acquired printer driver in the print server in order to set the printer driver in a downloadable state, thereby resulting in complicated operation.
This invention has been invented in view of the above problems and has an object to provide a terminal management system which can effectively distribute a driver program for a terminal apparatus to a client terminal even in the case where the new terminal apparatus is installed onto the network.